The Transfer Window – My Top 5 Deals So Far

So we are over halfway through the transfer window, with some clubs busier than others and many yet to make a move. Newcastle will undoubtedly be spending in the near future, while Man City have been surprisingly quiet. Fulham and Birmingham have already made moves to help them pull away from danger, and Derby signing Robbie Savage…..

Here are my top five Premiership transfer deals so far in no particular order:

1. James McFadden – Everton to Birmingham. The Scottish hero who was criminally underused at Everton in the first half of the season gets a fresh start under ex-national boss McLeish. Expect him to play a vital role in any Birmingham recovery. I’m a big fan of McFadden but his first team chances were numbered with a plethora of quality frontmen at Everton, expect him to find form alongside his international colleague Gary O’Connor.

2: Manuel Fernandes – Valencia to Everton. After missing out on a permanent deal for Fernandes following his loan at Goodison last season, Everton now get the chance to bring him in for a short spell again. Out of favour at Valencia, Fernandes could figure regularly for the Blues and build on his two goals in nine appearances last season.

3: Chris Gunter – Cardiff to Spurs. I may be a little biased having seen Gunter play on many occasions for Cardiff this season but a man of the match performance on his debut suggests he could help stiffen up Spurs’ sieve like defence. Don’t expect to see him too frequently in the League but with Spurs still in three cup competitions he should get plenty of action between now and May.

4: Martin Skrtel – Zenit St Petersburg to Liverpool. This should be a shrewd signing for Liverpool, even if for no other reason than the injury that is still keeping Agger out of action. That and the fact that his replacement Hyypia is frequently exposed for his chronic lack of pace, even against Luton you could almost hear Sami’s creaking limbs struggling to cope with the League One attack. (Think Laurent Blanc – 2002)

5: Nicholas Anelka – Bolton to Chelsea. Whilst this deal may not be a cheap one, it could be just the tonic for Chelsea’s title hopes. With Drogba and Kalou at the African Nations, (admittedly the later is not such a great loss) Chelsea were in dire need of a striker and Anelka is one of the best available. Could this be the club where ‘Le Sulk’ finally settles?!

~ by Peter Evans on January 26, 2008.